Within the True Self Great World, a bluestone path wound past a clear stream that encircled a cottage. Bamboo shadows swayed gently beneath the slanting, warm sunlight.
Lin Chen sat quietly before the bamboo cottage, a cup of clear tea in hand, his gaze serene as he watched myriad realms arise and perish and contemplated his original heart's return to truth. Ever since entering the true self boundless realm, he had merged with the Realm Beyond the Dao and become one with all Daos and realms, present everywhere and at every moment, yet still keeping to a tranquil corner untouched by the slightest clamor.
He had long since become the ultimate true self, transcending all realms and all existence. He needed neither cultivation, enlightenment, nor verification. With a raised hand, he could open the heavens; with a turned palm, destroy worlds. A thought could settle all Daos; a breath could span all ages. Yet he chose to assume an ordinary mortal's appearance, live in a bamboo cottage, drink common tea, watch the mortal world, and preserve his original heart.
To him, the highest Dao had never meant looking down upon the world, receiving the homage of all realms, or remaining invincible through all ages. It meant returning to his truest nature, returning to the beginning.
A hundred thousand years ago, he had been a youth quietly signing in amid the Mortal Realm's worldly dust, without heaven-shaking cultivation, peerless renown, or the reverence of myriad worlds. He had kept only a little courtyard, living peacefully through three meals a day and the passing seasons.
A hundred thousand years later, he had traversed the heavens, subdued chaos, shattered the void, commanded primordial vastness, reached the ultimate, entered the realm beyond the Dao, and ascended to the true self boundless realm. He had become an invincible supreme, unique throughout the ages and revered by every realm, yet he still wished to be that mortal who sat quietly drinking tea, untouched by worldly clamor.
Heaven-surging power could not equal an inch of his original heart.
The allegiance of myriad worlds could not compare to his own freedom.
The homage of all realms could not be traded for a cup of clear tea.
This was Lin Chen's Dao-beginning in mortality, ending in mortality; beginning in dust, returning to dust; beginning in the heart, ending in the heart.
Outside the True Self Great World, the Void Dao Lord still stood quietly in attendance. Time had long since lost its meaning to him; the passing of epochs was no more than the blink of an eye. He could clearly sense that Lin Chen's Dao was still ascending, but this ascent was neither a surge in power nor a breakthrough in cultivation. Instead, he was continually stripping away his majesty, shedding his halo, setting aside his supreme form, and drawing step by step closer to his original mortal body and heart.
"The Supreme's Dao has long since transcended every describable realm. Even if I exhausted all ages, I could scarcely glimpse a fraction of it."
The Void Dao Lord murmured softly, bowing even lower as his awe and reverence deepened. He had once believed invincibility was the endpoint, eternity the pinnacle, and the true self the limit. Only after following Lin Chen all this way had he understood that the true pinnacle was returning to the beginning; true invincibility was a heart free of external things; true eternity was never forgetting one's original heart.
As though sensing the gaze from outside, Lin Chen lifted his eyes slightly and glanced calmly across the barrier of the True Self Great World.
That glance carried neither pressure nor divine radiance, yet it brought clarity to the Void Dao Lord's mind and spirit. His Dao foundation reached perfection once more, touching a level beyond even imagination. At the same time, throughout the Primordial Myriad Realms, the Great World of Freedom, the True Self Great World, and even the Realm of Dao Extinction and the Ultimate Void, every being across all space, time, and dimensions felt an utterly gentle power brush across their souls, wash away distracting thoughts, and bring understanding of their original hearts.
In the Mortal Realm, children laughed, elders rested at ease, cooking smoke curled upward, and the years passed peacefully.
In the Cultivation Realm, cultivators abandoned contention. The sounds of the Dao were pure and tranquil, and they cultivated freely, no longer bound by obsession.
Above the God Realm, the gods reined in their radiance, shed their arrogance, returned to the ordinary, and turned their hearts toward peace.
In the Emperor Realm, great emperors relinquished power and wandered freely among mountains and rivers, no longer concerning themselves with authority, preserving only their original hearts.
Deep within chaos, ancient beasts slept peacefully, heavenly venerables sat in stillness, and all living creatures dwelled in harmony, with no more conquest.
Across the heavenly domains, the worlds were of one heart. Venerables taught the Dao, sharing peace and comprehending the true Dao together.
Within primordial vastness, the Creation Clan guarded the source, respected all living beings, abandoned arrogance, and preserved their original hearts.
In the Great World of Freedom, living beings were free and all Daos followed their natural course, unfettered and unbound, without sorrow or joy.
Everything evolved toward its truest, most natural, most perfect state. There was no coercion, no interference, no ruler. Simply because Lin Chen returned to truth with a thought, all realms followed, returning to their hearts.
"A hundred thousand years amid worldly dust, and my original heart has never changed."
"The true self knows no bounds, yet returns to dust and smoke in the end."
Lin Chen murmured softly. His voice was gentle, yet it passed through all realms and Daos, settling in the heart of every living being.
As his words faded, he slowly rose, his white robes stirring lightly. No strange phenomena surrounded him, no Dao resonance, no fluctuations of power, as though he had truly become an ordinary young man of the Mortal Realm.
He raised his hand and pointed lightly toward the core of the True Self Great World.
In an instant, the True Self Great World ceased to be a supreme domain belonging to him alone. Instead, it dissolved of its own accord, merging into the Realm Beyond the Dao, into the Ultimate Void, and into all realms and Daos, becoming the "heart of the true self" for all space and time, all worlds, and all living beings.
From then on, every realm possessed a true self, every living being retained an original heart, and every Dao returned to nature.
He did not destroy everything he had created, but returned it wholly to all realms, to all living beings, and to nature.
No possession, no control, no attachment, no retention.
This was the true meaning of the true self returning to dust-I am all realms, yet all realms are not me; I exist within all Daos, yet all Daos are free.
Then Lin Chen lifted his foot lightly. With one step, he returned from the Realm Beyond the Dao to the Ultimate Void. With another, he returned to the summit of primordial vastness. With one more, he stood upon the soil amid the worldly dust of the Mortal Realm.
It was the very little town he had arrived in a hundred thousand years ago, that same bluestone street, that same humble courtyard.
Everything was as it had been at the beginning, unchanged.
The bluestone street was still smooth, the roadside stalls still lively. Children still chased one another in play, elders still sat chatting at leisure, cooking smoke still rose slowly, and the evening breeze still brushed gently against his face.
There was no chorus of all Daos, no homage from myriad worlds, no divine light illuminating everything, no supreme majesty.
There was only the warmth of mortal life, only peaceful days, only ordinary warmth.
Lin Chen walked slowly along the bluestone street, his gaze passing over the familiar streetscape as a pure, warm smile lifted the corners of his mouth.
He passed a stall and bought an ordinary Mortal Realm pastry. It tasted light and sweet, just as it had a hundred thousand years ago.
He crossed a little bridge and watched the murmuring water and playful fish, just as leisurely as a hundred thousand years ago.
He passed the little courtyard and pushed open the gate. The table and chairs remained, the tea set remained, as quiet as a hundred thousand years ago.
He did not resume his supreme bearing, wield his invincible power, or reveal the Dao resonance of his true self. With nothing but a mortal body, he stood amid the Mortal Realm's worldly dust and became his most ordinary, most unremarkable, truest self once more.
At that moment, he was not the Supreme of myriad worlds, not the eternal true self, not an invincible legend.
He was only Lin Chen.
An ordinary, unremarkable youth who had signed in amid worldly dust for a hundred thousand years.
Throughout all realms, every living being sensed something at the same moment.
In their hearts, that lofty supreme figure, invincible throughout all ages, quietly faded, replaced by the image of a youth walking the Mortal Realm's streets with a gentle smile.
Suddenly, they understood.
The Supreme had never gone far, never left, never stood high above them.
He was there in the warmth of mortal life, in peaceful days, in the unchanged original heart, and in the heart of every living being's true self.
The Void Dao Lord raised his face to the sky and sighed deeply. Tears filled his eyes as he bowed and knelt in homage, his voice respectful and relieved:
"I understand. The Supreme's Dao begins in a mortal heart and returns to a mortal heart. Invincibility without cannot compare to peace within."
"I am willing to guard all realms, to protect the Supreme's peace amid worldly dust and the freedom of all beings' original hearts, unchanged for all eternity."
The Chaos Heavenly Venerable, the Eastern Domain Venerable, the Creation Clan Ancestor, the great emperors of the heavens, and all beings of myriad worlds bowed and knelt in homage. No awe remained in their hearts, only warmth, peace, and closeness.
They no longer regarded Lin Chen as a supreme standing high above them, but as the starting point of the original heart, the final home of peace, and the symbol of the true self.
From then on, invincibility no longer meant war, but peace.
Eternity no longer meant endless life, but the original heart.
The Great Dao no longer meant seeking, but one's truest nature.
Within the little courtyard, Lin Chen sat quietly beside the stone table and brewed another cup of clear tea. Its delicate fragrance refreshed the heart.
He raised his eyes toward the horizon, his gaze piercing all realms, yet he no longer looked down upon them. He kept them company instead.
He kept company with the Mortal Realm's everyday warmth, with the peace of all living beings, with the natural course of all Daos, and with the eternity of the original heart.
He could see the Void Dao Lord guarding all realms, conscientious and diligent;
could see the Chaos Heavenly Venerable protecting peace, tranquil and at ease;
could see the Eastern Domain Venerable teaching the Dao and resolving doubts, his state of mind clear;
could see the Creation Clan protecting primordial vastness, humble and courteous;
could see all beings across the heavens, each settled in their place, each preserving their original heart, each finding their own joy.
This was the ending he wanted.
This was the invincibility he sought.
This was the meaning of his hundred thousand years of signing in.
This was the destination of his journey through all realms.
He needed neither the homage of all realms nor the awe of all beings, neither heaven-surging power nor a supreme cultivation realm.
He needed only peace in the mortal world, freedom for all beings, an unchanged original heart, and a true self that endured forever.
"I signed in for a hundred thousand years, not for invincibility, but for peace of heart."
"I emerged to traverse all realms, not to reign supreme, but to return to truth."
"The true self returns to dust; the original heart remains a youth."
"Where the Dao begins anew, all ages rest in peace."
Lin Chen murmured to himself and sipped his clear tea, his gaze gentle, his smile serene.
The evening breeze brushed through the little courtyard. Bamboo shadows swayed softly, tea fragrance curled upward, and the days were peaceful.
His figure gradually merged with the Mortal Realm's worldly dust, with the warmth of mortal life, and with the original hearts of all realms.
He was everywhere, yet left no trace to be found.
Invincible throughout all ages, yet as ordinary as at the beginning.
Eternal and undying, yet returned to dust and smoke.
The years drifted on, and epochs hurried past.
The little town in the Mortal Realm remained peaceful, the bluestone street remained clean, the little courtyard remained quiet, and the clear tea remained warm.
Lin Chen's legend was no longer one of domineering might, sweeping through the heavens and remaining invincible throughout all ages. It was the warmth of an unchanged original heart, of the true self returning to dust, of peace in the mortal world, and of freedom for all living beings.
Someone asked, "What is the Dao?"
The answer came: "Peace of heart is the Dao. The original heart is the Dao. The ordinary is the Dao. The true self is the Dao."
Someone asked, "What is invincibility?"
The answer came: "Having no enemies in the heart is invincibility; having peace in the heart is invincibility; preserving the original heart is invincibility."
Someone asked, "Where is Lin Chen?"
The answer came: "In the warmth of mortal life, in the peaceful hearts of all beings, in the unchanged original heart, in the eternity of the true self."
He had never left, never gone far, never disappeared.
He was the youth who had signed in for a hundred thousand years, the Supreme who had been invincible the moment he emerged, the ultimate of the true self boundless realm, the original heart that had returned to mortal dust.
Above the heavens and beneath the earth, across all ages of space and time, within and beyond the Dao, throughout all realms and living beings.
There was only one Lin Chen, his original heart forever unchanged, his true self forever enduring, his invincibility forever peaceful, the beginning of his Dao forever as it first was.
After signing in for a hundred thousand years, I emerged invincible.
The true self returned to dust, and the Great Dao began anew.